Michigan governor signs conversion therapy ban, extending to dissenters on transgenderism

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has given her seal of approval to two bills outlawing "conversion therapy" for minors identifying as homosexual or transgender.

This effectively criminalizes healthcare providers and parents who contest the notion that their children were born in the wrong body, the National Pulse reported.

The media spotlight has primarily been on the prohibition of therapy intending to alter a person's sexual orientation. Still, it's noteworthy that the bills also ban therapy promoting, the traditional concept of gender identity to children questioning theirs.

House Bill 4617 labels conversion therapy as "any practice or treatment by a mental health professional intended to alter an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, encompassing efforts to modify behavior or gender expression or to diminish or eliminate sexual or romantic attractions or feelings towards individuals of the same gender."

This wording leaves room for interpreting that clinicians and potentially parents who don't "affirm" their child's transgender identity - for instance, not endorsing a boy's choice to dress or be addressed as a girl and vice versa - could be implicated in illegal activities.

Governor Whitmer, expressing her stance as "a mother of an [LGBTQ] community member and a proud, lifelong ally," stated that she is "grateful" Michigan is "putting an end to the appalling practice of conversion therapy."

As a mom of a member of the community and a proud, lifelong ally, I’m grateful that today we’re banning the horrific practice of conversion therapy in Michigan.

In doing so, we are taking action to make Michigan a more welcoming, inclusive place. pic.twitter.com/5r5Ts3OgyO

— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) July 26, 2023